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Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/25) Luke 21:20-37

May25

A 5-day per week study

Read and Believe in Jesus

“But stay awake at all times, praying….” Luke 21:36

The Gospel according to Luke.

REVIEW – Jesus commended the offering of a poor widow while condemning the ruthlessness of the scribes for “devouring widows’ houses.” Then Jesus told about the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., which also mingle with events of the great tribulation.

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Vss. 21:21:24.

Jesus foretells the dark future of Jerusalem, both in 70 A.D. and when the final “abomination of desolation” comes in the end times. It will be a horrible time for the Jews. Titus introduced the “times of the Gentiles” with his destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away of millions of Jewish slaves. It begins a time when Israel is temporarily set aside. It is also a time of grace for Gentiles who believe and trust in Jesus. They will be “grafted into the stock of Israel. These “times” will end when Jesus returns with power and establishes the promised Millennial Kingdom on earth.

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Vss. 21:25-28.

Signs in the sun, moon, and stars, as well as distress and perplexity on earth, are signs of Jesus’ second coming. People will faint with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world.

(Sounds like these days we are living in, right?)

But Jesus tells the faithful that when they begin to see these things take place… “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.)

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Vss. 21:29-36.

Jesus then gives an example of the fig tree. (Actually, all trees). When they see trees begin to leaf out, they KNOW that summer is near. So also, when they see the signs Jesus spoke about, they will KNOW that His coming is about to happen.

Indeed, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, THIS generation (the one who sees these signs) will not pass away until all has taken place.

(Could this be OUR generation?)

Did His listeners look at Him (and the great stones of the temple) and feel skeptical? Jesus responds. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will NOT pass away.”

Jesus then gives a stern warning to them … and to us …

“Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. (For it WILL come upon ALL who dwell on the face of the WHOLE earth!) “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have STRENGTH to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

How did the people who heard Him react to these words? Probably like people today, when we tell them that Jesus is coming soon, and to prepare! Come to Jesus and be saved!

Did they shrug and think, “Oh, that can’t happen in my lifetime. That’s way far off. I have things to do … places to go… people to see… I’ll think of this another time.”

Oh, LORD, save us!

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Vss. 21:37-38.

“Every day, He was teaching in the temple. (Jesus will remind the Jewish leaders of this when they arrest Him.)

“But at night, He went out and lodged on the Mount of Olives.

Then every morning, early, Jesus went to the temple. And all the people came to hear Him teach.

(And the ruthless Jewish leaders’ hands were tied. But the “people” didn’t stop their murderous intentions, as they supposed. It was God, the Father, who was perfectly orchestrating everything. Jesus, the Lamb of God, would die at Passover. And His blood applied to all who believed and obeyed would save them (and us) from death. Eternal death.

Thank You, Jesus.

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(I use the 2010 MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version, for my studies.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/22) Luke 21:1-19.

May22

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“…you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”  Luke 21:12b-13

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – While Jesus taught at the Temple, the Sadducees, Pharisees, and others tried to trick Him with their questions. But His answers stumped them, and when He asked THEM a question, they silently went away,

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Vss. 21:1-4.

At the end of chapter 20, Jesus warned the people to beware of the ways of the scribes (Pharisees), because, among other ridiculous things, they “..devour widows’ houses..” This was a practice in which pious religious leaders would visit newly widowed and vulnerable women and persuade them to give all their inherited possessions to the “religious community.” It would be a “donation to God,” and “what their husbands would have wanted.” This usually left the new widows bankrupt, and the temple coffers bulging. Jesus hated the practice of “devouring widows’ houses.”

Now, it seems that when Jesus lifted His eyes, there, in front of them, was just such a desperately poor widow. (Righteous anger for her must have burned in Him for what those scribes had done. But for the woman, herself, noting but love and tenderness and admiration.

As this widow dropped two tiny copper coins into the temple offering box (ALL that she had, says Mark 12:42), Jesus commended her. “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them (the rich). For they all contributed out of their ABUNDANCE, but she out of her POVERTY, put in all she had to live on.”

(This makes me feel convicted. When I drop 10% or even 20% into the offering box, I often feel so “righteous.” But I would be giving out of “my abundance.” LORD, help me to be generous (even till it hurts) with all You’ve given me!”)

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Vss. 21:5-6.

While Jesus continued to sit in the temple courtyard, watching the people with His disciples, He heard a comment about how beautiful the temple was and how it was adorned with noble stones and decorations (donations from the wealthy). And although this temple was not as grand as Solomon’s, Herod had done a pretty amazing job at renovating the old one. It was almost gaudy-beautiful.

Still, Jesus knew its future was less than 40 years….

“As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will ot be thrown down.”

Shocking words. It would be like someone saying this about the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. Unimaginable. Still, the God of the universe knew everything from eternity past to eternity future, and Jesus spoke the truth.

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Vss. 21:7-19.

Horrified, the disciples and people around Jesus wanted to know WHEN this would happen and WHAT the warning signs of imminent destruction would be.

Jesus listed a few “signs of the times,” mingling the horrors of 40 A.D. and Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem, with the signs of the Great Tribulation, still future to us.

  1. Many would come, claiming to be the Messiah.
  2. They would hear of wars and tumults.
  3. Nations fighting nations would be common.
  4. Earthquakes would be everywhere.
  5. Famines and plagues (viruses) would come.
  6. Terrible signs in the sky would appear.
  7. Severe persecution would come.
  8. Family betrayals unto death would be common.
  9. Martyrdom.

Then Jesus says some amazing words that speak to a believer’s ETERNAL SECURITY even in the face of martyrdom.

“But not a hair of your head will PERISH. By your endurance, you will GAIN your lives.

John 10:28-29 makes this even clearer. “I (Jesus) give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

True believers are double-protected, in the hands of Christ underneath, and the hands of God Almighty above. Completely covered and protected FOR ETERNITY, though we may suffer loss and death in the horrific times to come (as many Jews did in 40 A.D.).

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(I use the 2010 MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version, for my studies.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/21) Luke 20:21-47.

May21

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“They were not able in the presence of the people to catch Him in what He said, but marveling at His answers, they became silent.”  Luke 20:26

The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – In the temple, Jesus taught and told a parable that infuriated the religious leaders. A vineyard owner, his tenants, his servants, and his son are all in the story. THEY know it’s about their faulty oversight of Israel. And they hate Jesus even more.

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Vss. 20:21-26.

After that scathing parable, the Jewish leaders tried even harder to catch Jesus. They sent “spies” who seemed “honest” but who asked Him controversial questions in hopes Jesus would say something indictable.

#1. The first was so obvious.

“Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

(In other words, should godly people pay taxes to an ungodly government. (A good question for today, too.)

Of course, Jesus saw right through their craftiness. “Show me a denarius. (They did.) “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?”

They knew, but they looked anyway. “Caesar’s.”

“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

(And the first set of spies left, defeated and silent.)

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Vss. 20:27-

#2. The second came from a delegation of Sadducees (or chief priests), who did NOT believe in a bodily resurrection. (This made them … Sad, you see!)

‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.”

This WAS a provision given by Moses to help carry on the line of ownership for Israel in a new land. It was not compulsory, but a single brother sharing an estate might be looked down upon if he refused to do this for his brother’s line. (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10)

But these Sadducees carried the example to absurdity, suggesting that this poor widow went through seven brothers without producing an heir, leaving them all dead. (We might call her a “black widow!”) “In the resurrection (if there IS one) whose wife would she be?” they asked, believing they’d “caught” Jesus.

You can almost see Jesus rolling His eyes. Matthew’s account begins with Jesus correcting them, “You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.” Here, in Luke, Jesus merely explains that there is no marriage in the resurrection. Those who have attained heaven are equal to angels. There is also no death, because God is the God of the living, and all the resurrected live in Him.

The Sadducees were stumped. But some of the scribes (Pharisees, who did believe in bodily resurrection) thought Jesus had “spoken well.” And they no longer tried to trick Him with their questions.

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Vss. 20 41-47.

But Jesus had a question of His own, one that left them speechless, fearful of answering either way.

“How can they say that the Christ (Messiah) is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, (110:1) ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ “David thus calls ‘LORD,’ so how is He his son?“

Then Jesus, in the hearing of ALL the people, said to His disciples, “Beware of the scribes (Pharisees), who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.“

This is not the first time Jesus warned His disciples about the Pharisees – not the men themselves, but their hypocrisy – teaching extreme righteousness but acting entirely differently.

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(I use the 2010 MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version, for my studies.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/20) Luke 20:1-20.

May20

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Tell us, by what authority do you do these things… who gave you this authority?”  Luke 20:2

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus rode triumphant into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the cheers of the crowds and wild expectations of His disciples … and the terror of the religious leaders. He cleansed the Temple and then taught there, and the temple authorities could do NOTHING against Him….yet.

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Vss. 20:1-8.

Smarting at having lost all their income from the marketplace in the Temple courtyard, these three groups of religious leaders accosted Jesus while He was teaching and preaching the gospel … in that very Temple courtyard.

“WHAT authority do you have to do this? WHO gave you this authority? They said, fists on hips, evil in their eyes.

“I’ll ask YOU a question,” said Jesus calmly. “Was the baptism of John from heaven (God) or from man?

The accusers muttered among themselves, seeing that Jesus had them over a barrel. No matter which way they answered His question, they were in trouble. So … “We do not know where it came from,” they finally spat out.

Jesus knew their dilemma. If they said John’s ministry was God-given, then the question was, why didn’t they heed it? If they said it was by John’s own doing, the people would attempt to stone them because they believed (rightly) that John was a prophet of God.

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Vss, 20 9-15.

Jesus then tells a parable to those religious leaders (about themselves – would they understand?) The people around Jesus also listened intently.

“A man planted a vineyard…”

Right away, the song in Isaiah 5:1-7 must have come to mind, at least to these teachers of the Law. It is the story of Israel portrayed as a vineyard. The men (and maybe the general people) would know what this story was going to be about.

A vineyard = Israel. But who are the characters? Jesus would make that plain.

In Jesus’s parable, He tells of the landowner (representing God) going to a far country for a long while, leaving his vineyard in the care of the tenant farmers.

(Who, but the Jewish leaders, could be represented by the tenants? THEY knew, and so did the people listening to the parable.)

Jesus continues. Harvest time came, and the landowner sent his servant to collect the crop (money earned). But these tenants beat up the servant and sent him away empty-handed.

The landowner sent another servant, perhaps a more forceful one, but the greedy tenants treated him shamefully and sent him packing as well.

The landowner sent a third servant to collect his due. The now-confident tenants wounded him and threw him out without the landowners’ wages.

These servants the landowner sent represented the prophets God sent to Israel, hoping to turn them from their wicked ways and give Him the worship due to Him. Often, the religious leaders in Israel’s history disregarded and often tortured and killed God’s prophets.

Was the crowd around Jesus “getting the picture?”

Jesus continued, “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.” WHO but Jesus Himself was Jesus portraying?

But the murderous tenants threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him, believing that now the vineyard would be THEIRS.

Did Jesus gaze at those religious leaders standing around? Of course, He knew their murderous hearts, plotting HOW they might catch Him and kill Him.

Jesus asks a question to the people and those religious leaders, “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? His answer shocked them.

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Vss. 20:16-20.

Jesus said forcefully, “He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others!”

Whoa, did that ever cause a reaction!

“SURELY NOT!” Exclaimed the crowd. Yes, they understood very well what Jesus was saying. Israel without their priests and teachers!

But Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:13-15. HE was the “stone” that the builders rejected. But HE would become the Cornerstone of the new order.

“The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces.” And, “When this stone falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Whether a vase falls on a rock or a rock falls on a vase, the result is the same. Both those who are not interested in Christ and those who hate Him… the result is the same. They will be crushed.

Okay, the scribes and chief priests knew that Jesus told this parable against them.

They sought to lay hands on Jesus that very hour, but … they feared the people. So they watched Him. And they sent spies who pretended to be sincere to “catch Him” in something He said. They wanted to deliver Jesus up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor (Pilate).

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In tomorrow’s reading, we will see some of these attempts by quasi-sincere questioners. Jesus knows. He always gets the better of them.

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(I use the 2010 MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version, for my studies.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/11) Luke 17:20-37

May11

A 5-day per week study.

May 11 – Reading Luke 17:20-37

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God would come, He answered…the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”  Luke 17:20-21

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus spoke of a believer’s duty and faith. He told an awkward (to us) story about obedience. Then he healed 10 lepers, but only one – a Samaritan – returned to worship and thank Jesus.

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Vss. 17:20-21.

The Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?”  

hey were probably mocking Him, because they had already decided Jesus was not their Messiah.  They believed the Messiah would overthrow Rome and set up the millennial kingdom.  Jesus’ path was totally different.

Jesus’ kingdom would be the invisible rule of God in men’s hearts through faith in Him as Savior. He did not say that the expected Old Testament Millennial Kingdom would NOT come.  Just not now or first.

But the Kingdom of God was there and then, in Jesus.

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Vss. 17:22-25.

But now, Jesus’ disciple wanted to know the answer too. Jesus told them the two sets of “signs” to watch for that would herald His coming to rule. 

BUT … there were events that would occur first, even in some of their lifetimes. He warns them of these.

There would be news of false comings. “Look here!” and “Look there!” but they were not to be fooled. His coming would NOT be a secret. It would be like lightning flashing across the sky.  ALL would see and know.

Also, Jesus told them, “But first the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”  (Again, predicting His soon death.)

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Vss. 17:26-33.

Then Jesus illustrated His coming in power by two familiar Old Testament stories of judgment.

Sign one:

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.”

How was it then, in those 120 years it took Noah to obey God and build the Ark? 

They were eating and drinking. (Daily life, as usual)

They were marrying and giving in marriage. (Joining families and procreating, planning for the future of their generations.)

All, as if it would go on forever.

Noah preached about the coming judgment for all those years, and no one listened or prepared.  Instead, they mocked him. They hooted and howled … until the first raindrops fell…and the water began to rise…and they tried to cling to the pitch-covered ark and pounded on the door….

It was too late then. Noah’s family, and the representatives of all the beasts of the earth and fowl of the air had entered that great boat.  The door was shut and sealed … by God.

(Just a side note; Do you ever wonder why specimens of the creatures in the sea were not taken on board the Ark when all creation was judged? It “could” have been done. My thoughts – and only thoughts – are that the sea creatures were needed to clean up the oceans of all the dead bodies of humans and animals, and all the rotting vegetation. In Revelation 19:17-21, God calls the birds of the air to come clean up the corpses after the Battle of Armegeddon. so why not the fish?)

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Sign two:

“Likewise, just as it was in the day of Lot.)

This was a much shorter warning period. God revealed his plans to Abraham, and the man of faith interceded for the people as far as he could.  Then God sent angels, and it was a mere day’s warning.  “Get out now.”

But the townsfolk were busy.

Eating and drinking. (life as usual)

Buying and selling. (greedily trying to acquire more and more)

Planting and building. (assuming they had lots of time to live in the future).

But on that DAY (when Lot left town, pulling his reluctant wife and daughters along, it “rained” fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all.

Jesus specifically tells them to “Remember Lot’s wife.”  Her attachment to Sodom and her “things” was strong.  Even as fire rained down, she looked back in longing.

How much do our own “things and way of living” mean to us?  Have we laid down our lives, forsaken all, taken up our cross, and truly followed Jesus?

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No one will expect Jesus’ coming (except those who are His own). All will be bound up with their own ordinary lives, future good and bad schemes, and wild machinations and fears.

Like today.

By the way… have you noticed how many of God’s spokespersons are now calling for people to “get ready,” and turn to Jesus, BECAUSE HE IS COMING VERY SOON?

“All the prophecies are being fulfilled! Nothing is hindering His appearance! Don’t be left behind!”

God states in Amos 3:7 that He will warn of His coming, especially in judgment.

“Surely, the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets.”

God graciously does this to allow time for repentance.

It was 120 years in Noah’s time…barely a week for Sodom.

How long for us today?

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Vss. 17:34-37.

“There will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken, and the other left.” Jesus warns.

Sleeping, doing chores … just like in the days of Noah and Lot.

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Oh, be prepared!  

Trust in Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross for your salvation!

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/29) Luke 13:22-35

Apr29

A 5-day per week study.

April 29 – Reading Luke 13:22-35

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”  Luke 13:23

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Do natural disasters mean God’s judgment? Jesus answers. He then gives three parables – the barren fig tree, the mustard seed and birds, and “good” leaven making soft, raised bread.

Then a woman afflicted for 18 years by a disabling spirit was healed …. on the Sabbath. Ah-oh!

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Vss. 13:22.

Luke reminds us readers that Jesus is still ultimately heading towards Jerusalem and His death.  The fact that he is vague about specific destinations (“through towns and villages”) is probably because Jesus has moved His ministry eastward to the other side of the Jordan River in Perea.  (See Matthew 19:1, Mark 10:1, and John 10:40.)

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Vss. 13:23-30.

Perhaps seeing the dwindling crowds following Jesus in Perea, or because of Jesus’ recent strong teaching about repentance, someone in the people following called out a question.

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”***

As Jesus continues, we see that it is probable this man was a religious leader and a Jew confident in his place in the Kingdom.  Jesus confirms the man’s question with a roundabout answer.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For MANY, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to.

“Once the master of the house has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

“Then you’ll say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets…’ But He will say, ‘I do not know where you come from.  Get out of here, all you workers of iniquity!!’

(Here’s where it’s confirmed that Jesus was talking to an important Jewish man, who thought that because he “kept” all the rules, he was assured a place in the kingdom.)

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but YOU YOURSELVES cast out!  Many (gentiles) will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at the table in the Kingdom of God.

“Behold, some are last (the Gentiles) who will be first, and some are first (the Jews) who will be last.”

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***A reminder: After His resurrection, there were only 500 gathered to see Him in Galilee, and some of them doubted. And in the upper room at Pentecost, there were only 120 believers.  Few indeed from the great thousands who followed Jesus.

(So what does that mean for me?  Am I a true believer? Have I entered through the ‘narrow door’?  Jesus later told His disciples, “No man comes to the Father except by Me.”  Am I trusting fully in Jesus’ righteousness to cover my sin? Am I following and obeying Him as Lord of my life?

2 Peter 1:10 encourages us “to make our calling and election sure.”

Philippians 2:12:  Paul tells believers in Philippi to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

But gives this encouragement from Philippians 1:6. “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”)

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Vss. 13:31-35.

A Pharisee came to Jesus and said, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”

Herod ruled Perea as well as Galilee. Perhaps the Pharisee wanted Jesus back in Judea, where THEY had jurisdiction over Him.

(I love Jesus’ answer to this threat [from both Herod and the Pharisees].)

“Go tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.”

Jesus was following His own time schedule. His “hour” was coming, and Jesus knew exactly the time on the clock and the date on the calendar.  No one could force Him earlier or later.  Especially not King Herod.

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Then, Jesus turns His heart and mind toward Jerusalem, beginning with a proverb of the day,

“’It cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’”

(Most Old Testament prophets were martyred at the hands of the Jewish people, not by foreign enemies. This underscores that the purpose of Jesus’ relentless journey to Jerusalem WAS to die.)

And then Jesus continues,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!  And you WOULD NOT.”

Jesus desired foremost that His people would return to Him. To embrace their promised Messiah. To believe in Him and be saved.  But alas, FEW did. And the Gospel would be taken to the Gentiles after Pentecost.

But, there will be a day when “all Israel will be saved.”

Paul writes this in Romans 11:25-26b, 28-31

“I want you to understand this mystery, brothers,

A partial hardening has come upon Israel,

Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

And in this way, all Israel will be saved.”

“As regards the gospel,

They are enemies of God for your sake.

But as regards election,

They are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

 

And from Zechariah 12:10, 13:1

“And I will pour out on the house of David,

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

A spirit of grace and pleas for mercy

So that, when they look on me,

On Him whom they have pierced,

They shall mourn for Him….

On that day, there shall be

A fountain opened for the house of David

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

To cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/21) Luke 11:33-53

Apr21

A 5-day per week study.

April 21 – Reading Luke 11:33-54

Read and believe in Jesus.

“One of the lawyers said, ‘Teacher, in saying these things, you insult us too.”  Luke 11:45

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – The foolish crowd accused Jesus of freeing a demon-possessed man by using the devil’s power.  Jesus has ALL the power He needs to do any miracle. The false exorcists, on the other hand, do not. The unbelieving crowd asked Him to do a sign. Nope. The only sign they’ll get is Jonah. Yes, think about it.

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Vss. 11:33-35.

Jesus tells two metaphors about light. In verse 33, the “lamp” is the word of God.  You don’t want to hide it, but to share what God has to say to all who enter your house.

In 34-35, the “lamp” is your eye or the source of light for your body/heart.  The crowd’s problem was their perception, not the lack of light. They didn’t need “another sign.”  They needed hearts to believe the miracles (and power) Jesus had already shown.

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Vss. 11:36-41.

While Jesus was saying these things, a Pharisee walked up to Him and invited him to dinner. Jesus accepted and went with him. In the man’s house, Jesus reclined at the table (presumably already set).

The Pharisee stood there aghast, his jaw hanging open.

Why?

“He was astonished to see that Jesus did not first wash before dinner.”

Now we aren’t talking about a little boy with grimy hands whose mom told him to wash his hands and face before he could eat.

No. What Jesus did not do that offended the Pharisee so much was the elaborate ceremonial rinsing of His hands. These uber-righteous men thought it would cleanse them of any “accidental” ceremonial defilement.

  • It involved someone pouring water from a jar onto another’s hands, with the other’s fingers pointed upward, letting the water drip off the wrist.
  • Next, water would again be poured on the person’s hands, this time, with the fingers pointing downward.
  • Then each hand would be rubbed with the fist of the other hand.)

Jesus hadn’t done that.

It’s not clear what happened next, or if Jesus eventually got to eat.  But He certainly was not going to let this pass.

“Now YOU Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.  You fools!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”

Jesus told the “offended” man that he should be concerned more with his inner attitude before God than with outward ceremonies.

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Vss. 11:42-44.

Jesus then began a series of “woes” (the opposite of blessings) on the Pharisees.

“Woe to you Pharisees!  You tithe tiny pinches of herbs, but neglect justice and the love of God.”

“Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.”

“Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it (a hidden source of defilement).”

These are pretty strong words!

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Vss. 11:45-52.

About then, some lawyers (or scribes who were experts in the Law) came to Jesus and said He was “insulting THEM too.”

Jesus then spoke to them.

“Woe to you lawyers also!  You load people with burdens hard to bear (minute laws), and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with your little finger!”

“Woe to you!  You build tombs for the prophets (whom your fathers killed), just as God had prophesied. The “blood” of all the prophets is charged against THIS generation … from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah (A – Z).”

“Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

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Vss. 11:53-54.

Well, all that did not sit well with the usually much-honored and respected religious leaders.

The Pharisees began to “press Jesus hard and to provoke Him to speak about many things … lying in wait for Him, to catch Him in something He might say.”

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/20) Luke 4:14-30

Mar20

A 5-day per week study.

March 20 – Reading Luke 4:14-30

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went through all the surrounding country.”  Luke 4:14

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The Gospel according to Luke 4:14-30

(Review)  Yesterday, we saw Jesus, after a 40-day fast in the wilderness, battling temptations by the “master tempter,” the devil, by using the powerful Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Jesus’ example means that this is our main weapon against the fleshly desires and temptations we experience, too.  Read, study, and memorize God’s Word!  The Holy Spirit will bring it to your mind when you need it and trust Him for it.

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Vs. 14.

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about Him went out through the surrounding country.”

What report?

Luke skips over a period of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria before returning to Galilee.  We’ll study these when we get to John’s gospel, but here are the things that were “reported about Jesus” before He got to Galilee.

  1. He gathered the first few of His disciples from those who followed John the Baptist.
  2. He cleansed the Temple for the first time.
  3. He performed many miraculous signs that left the people in Jerusalem “wowed.”
  4. He met with Nicodemas at night.
  5. He ministered in the Judean Countryside.
  6. Heading north, He met with the Samaritan woman at the Well.
  7. He remained in Samaria for two days, ministering to the people.
  8. Then in Galilee, He healed the Official’s son.

And back to Luke 4, Jesus “taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”

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Vss. 15-20.

The Sabbath came around, and as was His custom all His life growing up in Nazareth, Jesus went to the synagogue.  When the time came for reading that day’s scripture passage, Jesus stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.  He unrolled it and found the passage – Isaiah 61:1-2a.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because He has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty 

to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are 

oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on Him.

(It was customary for a teacher to stand respectfully during the reading of the Scriptures, and to sit humbly to teach.  The men in the synagogue waited for Jesus to speak.)

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Vs. 21.

“And He began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 

Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah that Isaiah prophesied would come.”  (However, He stopped reading in the middle of verse 2 because the remaining part foretold the SECOND coming of Jesus, bringing judgment and God’s vengeance.)

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VSs. 22-27.

At first, the listeners were amazed at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth (all the blessed things the Messiah would do when he came), but then they looked again at the man, Jesus.

“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”   How could this carpenter, whom we’ve known since He returned from Bethlehem as a kid, be … the Messiah??  He’s just one of us.  And … wasn’t there some rumor about His being conceived “out of wedlock?”  WAIT a minute!!

Wouldn’t you know it.  The first opposition came from Jesus’ own neighbors in Nazareth?  The Samaritans had believed Him and rejoiced; the Jews of Nazareth would not.

Jesus said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.  What we’ve heard you did at Capernaum, do HERE in your hometown as well!’  Truly, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”

Then Jesus “rubbed in” their unbelief by reminding them that even in the days of Elijah and Elisha, those great and honored prophets, the people of Israel were not favored with miracles.  These happened to the Gentiles of Zarephath, Sidon, and Syria, to the ones WHO BELIEVED.

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Vss. 28-30.

When they heard Jesus say that, they were filled with wrath.

They rose up and drove Him out of town.

They brought Him to the edge of a hill so they could throw Him down (and probably stone Him).

But passing through their midst, He went away.”

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We don’t see Jesus returning to that synagogue, nor doing any miracles in Nazareth.  From then on, His headquarters would be in Capernaum.  He would attend the synagogue there.

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It’s a warning to us. Don’t miss out on salvation and the Savior … because of unbelief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/18) Luke 3:21-38

Mar18

A 5-day per week study.

March 18 – Reading Luke 3:21-38

Read and believe in Jesus.

“The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him…”  Luke 3:21

No photo description available.

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The Gospel according to Luke 3:21-38

In the last study, we saw John the Baptist “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Many came to him, were baptized, and with repentant hearts asked how they could bear the fruits of repentance. From religious leaders to tax collectors and soldiers, they came, and John told them.  And while they were there, he preached the good news of the coming Messiah and his own unworthiness.

Before John was arrested by Tetrarch Herod for incest and adultery with Herod’s brother’s wife (and a few other sins), John also (reluctantly, according to Matthew 3:13-15) baptized Jesus “to fulfill all righteousness.”

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Vss. 21-23a.

At Jesus’ “righteous” baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Him “in bodily form,” like a dove.  And a Voice (of God) came from Heaven, saying, “You are my beloved Son, with You I am well pleased.”  Jesus heard the voice, an affirmation from His Father.  John saw the dove descending on Jesus and took it as the sign he’d been promised that “this was the Messiah.” He then began pointing to Jesus as “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29-34)

This was when Jesus began His ministry.  he was about thirty years of age.

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Vss. 23b-38

Here, Luke inserts another of his factual reports, a genealogy of Jesus. These are the passages we typically skim through, if at all.  But there are some interesting things to see.

Unlike Matthew’s genealogy, Luke begins and ends with Jesus.  Son of God, AND born of man (Adam).

He starts with “Jesus being the supposed son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli.  It should actually say, son-in-law of Heli, for this is the lineage of Jesus ON MARY’S SIDE.  Her line also leads back through King David, but through his son, Nathan, not Solomon.  This is important because, just before the fall of Jerusalem under the last king of Judah, God said NO MORE KINGS IN THIS LINE would rule Israel (Jeremiah 22:24-30 – read this for yourself.), and yet the Messiah would be King, a descendant of David.  And so the true blood line DOES come down through David (as God promised him), but through a different son.

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And  so, God the Father proclaimed Jesus His “beloved Son,” and Jesus’ genealogy back to the beginning also proclaims Jesus as “the Son of God.”

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/16) Mark 12:1-12

Feb16

A 5-day per week study.

February 16– Reading Mark 12:1-12.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenents and went away.”  Mark12:1b

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The Gospel according to Mark 12:1-12.

Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey to the wild acclaim of the people.  Their King had come!  He was going to end Roman rule and free Israel.  But, early the next morning, Jesus had instead ended the Sadducee-approved buying, selling, and money-changing in the Temple area.

The next day, these men had accosted Him, demanding to know on whose authority He had done such a thing.  When they refused to answer His question about John the Baptist, Jesus refused to answer their question.  Again, their fear of the adoring crowds kept them from arresting Jesus.

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Vss.1-5.

It is still the same day, a few minutes later, and Jesus spoke TO THEM in a parable.

(Remember, earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that He taught in parables because of the hardness of the people’s hearts. They would not receive truth, so He veiled it in stories.)  He did that here, looking directly at the chief priests, scribes, and elders as He spoke.  They KNEW this parable was directed to them, and they fumed.

The Parable of the Tenants would have instantly reminded these teachers of Israel of Isaiah 5:1-7.  Please DO read this now!)  

They understood that the vineyard represented Israel, and the tenants were a picture of THEM.

Jesus’ parable told of evil, greedy tenants who wanted ALL the harvest for themselves, not just the 10% they earned.  So, as each of the slaves that the landowner sent to collect his portion of the profit arrived, they beat him up or killed him.  MANY of them.

This, of course, represented the many prophets God had sent to Israel and its leaders to correct their evil ways, and to “collect” the love, obedience, and worship He so rightly deserved.  The religious leaders had ignored the prophets and many times killed them. (Read Matthew 23:34-36)

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Vss. 6-9.

Jesus then tells them that the landowner had ONE SON (a picture of Himself) whom He finally sent to get the “harvest” He deserved.  But the wicked tenants, seeing this as their last chance, KILLED THE SON.  “Now… it’s all ours,”  the thought.  THEY THOUGHT!

This evil vividly depicts what the chief priests and elders were going to do to Jesus in just a couple of days.  HE knew it.  He’d told his disciples three times (Had they heard at all?).  And in the minds of these religious leaders, that was JUST what they wanted to do … if they could only figure out how to do it.

Then Jesus said something in the parable that I’m sure the Jewish leaders did not understand.  “The tenants would be destroyed, and the vineyard would be given to others.”

Yes, Jesus would be crucified, but He would be resurrected.  His church would begin and grow from the small band of Spirit-empowered followers with Him.  Churches would be established where believers would worship and glorify God.   AND … in a mere 40 years, Jerusalem would be destroyed, along with the Temple, the sacrifices, and all the priesthood.

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Vss. 10-12.

Jesus then quotes Psalm 119:22-23.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Jesus connects the Son that the tenants killed to the “Stone” (Himself)  that the builders (religious leaders) rejected.  The resurrected Son would be the Cornerstone of the church, upon which the prophets and apostles would build.

The religious leaders fumed.  They seethed.  They WANTED to arrest Him, but, once again, feared the people.  So, they left Him and went away.

(But they would soon come at night, when no crowd’s adoration could protect Him.  And they would have their way with Jesus, just as the evil tenants had with the landowner’s son. )

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Just as God had planned it all from eternity past.